Review quickie: Fender (Japan) Heritage 70s Stratocaster

Pic: Fender Japan

Folks, this is the Japanese team's attempt in the re-interpretation of a 70s Strat. I'm using the term 're-interpretation' here as opposed to 're-issue' because the latter would involve period correct parts which today would have been discontinued or extinct owing to the winding down of the parts company which used to manufacture components for Fender back in the day. The Heritage Series of Japanese Fender is an attempt to re-live the days when these instruments were manufactured & hence not a commissioned re-issue. The USA equivalent of these models would be the American Original Series but there's no 70s Strat in the line up.

Likes:

• overall build quality
• feel
• pickups

Dislikes

• weight
• pickups
• price

We can always trust the Japanese to do it well & they did it with this instrument. Fault-free build, fit & finish that feels exquisite upon handling. Be informed that the 70s C-profile neck is beefier than today's version. Everything about this guitar, in terms of functionality, is worth every cent. However, the ash body here is not the lighter swamp ash version so it is substantially heavier than the average Mex / American Strats out there. In fact, if you are living in your golden years in the mean time, this guitar is not recommended for live, strapped-on applications. It's as spine-taxing as a non-chambered Les Paul.

The pickups here are hit / miss because as a high gain dweeb, I feel they lack the output for heavier stuff; ACDC at most, but nothing beyond that. Also, the neck & middle single coils lack clarity, certainly not recommended for the legato-inclined owing to the lack of individual note separation at high gain settings. It's a totally different story in clean mode. These are warm-sounding pickups & would definitely appease the jazz camp. Yes, it's that kind of rounded top single coil tone, nothing too sharp-sounding. In fact I love them for the clean offerings; nothing excessively chimey, very usable tones for crunchy, overdriven stuff.

Lastly, those vintage style frets - if you are the heavy handed benders, these might get worn out very quickly. They are not the tall version as well so intense fretting would mean scratching your fretboard with the strings. It's listing for nearly $2K which many of us would find excessive since there are other more affordable Mexican Strats around offering similar feel & tone for less money. 

Rating: 80%

Fender: Heritage (Japan) 70s Stratocaster

Availability: Swee Lee

List: $1,949